About half a year into his first term, new Macon Mayor Lester Miller is getting aggressive in his goal to change Macon and bring in new economic development and residents. In April, Mayor Miller and the Commissioners of Macon-Bibb announced the “30 in 30 initiative” to demolish 30 blighted houses in 30 days. It’s no secret that Macon has experienced its share of growth and contraction, with some homes sitting vacant for sometimes decades.
With a few days left in the 30-day window, the city had already torn down 31 burned and blighted homes across the city.
“We all know that blight is not only an eyesore, it hurts economic development, it creates crime, and it causes people to lose hope,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “We’re in the business of providing hope to people, giving opportunities for everyone in Macon-Bibb County. This is a first small step in that process.”
Code Enforcement in Macon already has about 50 more houses ready or being prepared for demolition.
The demolition campaign is not only part of an effort to clear up eyesores but getting rid of blight can help bring down crime and Macon is also working to enhance existing assets that have lagged because of blight.
Several of the homes in the 30 in 30 initiative that were down were part of an improvement project to the entrance of the Historic Linwood Cemetery. The cemetery project is a partnership between the County, the Macon Cemetery Preservation Corporation and the Macon Water Authority. The goal is to attract people to the historic cemetery, make it a safer area and connect it to the surrounding neighborhoods. Atlanta-area readers may envision a smaller version of Oakland Cemetery.
“I’m confident that is going to be a destination place for years to come,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “This is only the first step in a major project that we have going on in Macon-Bibb County.”
“The blight removal, construction of the Pursley Streetscape, and connection to the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail will open up more tourism, funding, and partnerships for Historic Linwood Cemetery,” says Macon Cemetery Preservation Corporation President Yolanda Latimore.
Prior to the announcement of the demolition initiative, 57 properties were deemed unsafe and a public nuisance. Property owners were notified and given a chance to respond and make improvements. Out of that group, 37 never responded. Most of these were the ones that met the wrecking ball in the last month.
Besides the demolitions, crews from the Public Works, Solid Waste, and Parks & Beautification Departments are conducting a cleanup of the surrounding streets, removing dump sites, piles of tires and renewing the rights-of-way.
“We have to do more to attack blight than just tear down houses, and I want to thank our departments for joining together to do focused work like this. Not only will we be removing an unsafe structure, but we’ll be also cleaning up the streets,” said Mayor Miller.
